ContinuedA few blocks north of
Chinatown is Bangkok’s most popular tourist attraction - the Grand
Palace, home of the Thai Royal Family for 150 years, and Wat Phra Kaeo,
Thailand’s holiest shrine. Construction on this amazing city within a
city began in 1782 to honor the founding of the new capital and to
provide a home for the sacred Emerald Buddha now housed in Wat Phra
Kaeo. In 1946 the current king moved the royal residence to a more
modern structure in the nearby Dusit district.
The complex consists of a total area of 218,000 square meters (about a tenth of a
square mile) enclosed on all four sides by a 1,900 meter (about 6,200
feet) long gleaming white defensive wall. It was intended to be
totally self-sufficient and home to all of the royal quarters as well
as most of the royal temples and administrative offices. No royals live
in the Grand Palace today. However, some of the buildings are still used
for ceremonial functions and government business. One of the buildings,
the Borom Phiman Mansion was originally built as the residence for Rama
VI but is now a Royal Guest house for visiting Heads of State such as
Bill Clinton and Queen Elizabeth.

Rarely have I seen such a concentration of riches, artistry and
magnificent architecture. With so much to see, it’s easy to become
immersed in the great beauty and sparkling riches of the palace complex
by just wandering around the enclosure. However, I found that the free
guided tour helped me to fully appreciate the magnificence
and historical significance of the palace buildings.

A guided tour
takes just over an hour. Freelance guides are available for a fee at the
entrance. The Palace also offers free group guided tours in English at
10:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM. You can also rent a portable
audio guide for about $3.50.
Of the more than 400 Buddhist temples in Bangkok, Wat Pho, near the
Grand Palace, is considered to be the oldest and the largest of them.
There are also over 20,000 Buddha images in the city. Wat Pho, also
known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, houses more than 1,000
of these images, more than any other temple in the city. The Chapel of
the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, built by King Rama III in 1832, was
erected specifically to hold the massive gold-plated Reclining Buddha.

Considered the largest and most beautiful piece of fine art of a Buddha
in a reclining image (a position of power), capturing the 46 meter (150
foot) long, 15 meter (nearly 50 feet) high gilded plaster and brick image in a single photo is nearly impossible. The Buddha image, with eyes and feet are both inlaid with mother-of-pearl, fills the entire Chapel.

Visitors enter the Chapel at the front of the image’s serenely beautiful
face with a five meter (about 16 feet) smile, continue along the body
to the feet where the mother-of-pearl images on the black soles
represent the 108 lakshanas (auspicious signs which distinguish the true
Buddha) then exit on the opposite side for a rear view of the image.
Along the opposite wall as you exit the temple are 108 bowls into which visitors
are encouraged to drop small denomination coins for good luck and long
life. These coins are collected by monks early each morning and proceeds
are used to feed the hungry.
Among the more than 1,000 Buddha images at Wat Pho is a bronze
meditating Buddha image in the Main Bot (temple hall). Along the portico
in the compound of Wat Pho are several golden images in the seated
position. At first glance they all looked the same. However, upon closer
examination, I saw that the facial expression was different on each
image. I was told by the guide that Buddhists believe that the face of a
Buddha image takes on the image of its builder.
The Wat Pho compound also contain a group of four huge tile color-glazed
chedi or pagodas to honor the first three Chakri kings (one each for
King Rama I and II and two for King Rama III) along with 91 smaller
chedi of varying sizes containing ashes of relatives of high ranking
royal family.

The giant Chinese rockery statues standing guard by the entryways were
ballast from the ancient trading travels to China. The Rock Giants are
carved from Chinese granite and represent significant characters in Thai
history including the Chinese Monk, the Political Nobleman, the Civil
or Workman Warrior and four Chinese giant guardians representing Marco
Polo, the first European visiting and introducing European tradition to
China. If you’re tired from all
the walking, you can also get a 30 minute traditional Thai massage for
about US$7.00 from professionals trained at the famous Thai Traditional
Medical School located within the compound walls.

In contrast to the historical, crowded sites in Old Bangkok, the Dusit
District is a relatively modern untouristy area with broad tree lined
boulevards and large open spaces. As the successor to the Grand Palace
about four km away, Dusit is considered Bangkok’s “new” royal city. It
was laid out at the beginning of the 20th century by King Rama V who
modeled it after European capitals he’d seen during his travels and
named it Suan Dusit or Celestial Garden. It was later renamed Dusit
Palace.

Although the original palace complex covered approximately 76 hectares
or 190 acres and consisted of 13 royal residences and three throne
halls, today’s complex is less than a tenth that size. In 1900
construction of the new royal residence, Vimanmek Palace, was completed.
Formerly the building was the King’s Summer Palace located in the
Chonburi Province on Thailand’s eastern shore. It was dismantled and
rebuilt at its present site in the new royal complex. Constructed
entirely without nails, it is thought to be the first building in the
country with electricity and indoor sanitation. After serving as the
primary royal residence for only a few years while the new royal palace
was being constructed, the building laid abandoned for more than 80
years.

Today the restored 81 room Vimanmek Mansion, as it is now known, is a
museum dedicated to the beloved King Rama V. The halls and antechambers
of the three storied Mansion are tastefully decorated with pieces of
art, jewelry, antiques, paintings and other royal treasures and
artifacts. About 30 rooms in the Mansion, the Dusit district’s top
tourist attraction, are open daily to the public for guided tours except
on days when it is used for ceremonial functions. The King and Queen
now reside in nearby Chitrlada Palace (not open to the public).

In 1899, King Rama V commissioned an Italian architect to build Wat
Benchamabophit, near the new royal palace. It is the last major temple
to be built in central Bangkok. Constructed of gray Carrara marble, the
Victorian-style stained-glass window temple is also called the Marble
Temple. It was one of the most beautiful temples that I visited while in
Bangkok. In the cloisters behind the temple are 53 bronze Buddha
images, each slightly different in appearance, from around Thailand and
other Buddhist countries.

Also located in the new royal city is Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, home to
an excellent collection of handcrafted silver creations and metallic
collages, stone carvings, bamboo basketry, and other Thai traditional,
crafted artifacts.

Admirers of exquisite Thai crafts should not miss the
Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. The white marble building designed by
Italian architects has a beautiful rotunda with a ceiling of golds,
bronzes and blues. The former home of the Thai parliament for a brief
period, the building displays masterpiece artworks created by native
Thai who learned their artistic skills from the Chitrlada Arts and
Crafts Center under Her Majesty the Queen’s Royal Patronage. The Hall
displays only the best of the best such as the embroidered “Himavan”
Forest ceiling to floor size screen which took two years, six months and
162 artisans to create. Also on display are collage art created from
the wings of brilliant blue-green beetles, award-winning embroidered
paintings of traditional Thai images, fabrics with designs from all
regions of Thailand, and large gold nielloware replicas of royal thrones
and barges. Unfortunately, photos are not permitted in the Hall.

Just beyond the lush lawn of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall is the
royal plaza with an equestrian statue of King Rama V in his field
marshal’s uniform. Standing a total of six meters high, it was cast in
Paris in 1907 during his tour of Europe.Along with the Dusit Zoo, originally the private botanical garden of
King Rama V, and the Elephant Museum, Dusit has much to offer and
provides a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Old Bangkok.
Expect to spend the better part of a day taking in the sites of this new
royal city.

From its early days as a tax collection port, Bangkok now spans an area
far beyond the shores of the Chao Phraya River and consists of a modern,
dynamic metropolis of more than ten million people, nearly a tenth of
Thailand’s total population. The city is the country’s spiritual,
cultural, diplomatic, commercial and educational hub. Over six million
tourists flock to the City of Angels each year making tourism the city’s
largest foreign exchange earner. I feel fortunate to have been one of
those tourists.